Pledis Entertainment is taking accountability after a mishap involving “defective” fireworks left at least two fans injured at the SEVENTEEN‘s recent concert.
In a statement posted to Weverse shortly after the show in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday (Sept. 13), the entertainment company explained that some of the explosives used “during the final segment” of SEVENTEEN’s performance “unexpectedly fell toward the audience,” hurting several individuals in the crowd.
“While a professional company established safe distances and directions and conducted repeated inspections before the concert, we understand that this incident occurred due to a defective product,” the Korean-language statement read, according to Google’s English translation. “We deeply apologize to all audience members who were surprised or inconvenienced by this sudden situation.”
The message went on to share that “the two audience members confirmed to have been injured at the venue received immediate treatment at the temporary clinic within the concert hall and returned home,” noting that Pledis will “actively support” those fans in any further treatments they might need.
“We will send a separate message to audience members on the day of the concert to determine whether there were any additional damages and to determine the specific circumstances,” it continued. “We sincerely apologize once again for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our audiences and do our best to create an even safer performance environment.”
The concert in question was the kickoff show on SEVENTEEN’s New_ World Tour, taking place at Incheon’s Asiad Main Stadium. The band played a second show at the venue the following night, but the defective special effects were excluded from the program.
After the first show in Incheon, fans shared their experiences with the stray fireworks on social media. “It was really dangerous,” one person wrote on X, sharing photos of their burned shirt and thanking fellow audience members for helping to “put out the embers on my clothes with their bare hands.”
“I went to the burn specialist hospital emergency room yesterday for treatment, and it’s at least a 2nd-degree burn!” they continued in the replies, according to the platform’s English translation. “They say burn treatment needs to be monitored, and it could be a 3rd-degree burn or a deep 2nd-degree burn.”
As a “more thorough safety inspection” takes place regarding the tour’s fireworks, according to the Weverse statement, SEVENTEEN will continue the trek with two shows in Hong Kong at the end of September. The group will then perform a string of shows in the United States in October followed by a Japan leg in November.
The tour comes as members WOOZI and HOSHI are beginning their mandatory enlistments to the South Korean military, with the former starting service on Monday (Sept. 15) and the latter following suit one day afterward; JEONGHAN and WONWOO are already performing their military duties. According to Yonhap, WOOZI — who was already sporting a military ‘do — was spotted in the audience of the Sunday show. Afterward, he wrote on Weverse, “Today was my first time looking from outside. I was quite happy about that.”
SEVENTEEN last dropped an album in May, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart with Happy Burstday.
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